Sunday | 1:00 ET
Week 1 was an enigma for the Cincinnati Bengals. In a rainy trip to the Dawg Pound in Cleveland, Joe Burrow put up his worst game as a pro, throwing for only 82 yards. He looked out of sync and was missing throws like he never has before in the NFL. It seemed like Burrow was having a very tough time gripping the ball, even having to make a couple “push-throws” after losing ahold of it. On Sunday, the Bengals look to correct course after the dreadful Week 1 loss. The Ravens are coming in off of a win against Houston in a grinder-type game. This divisional rivalry never disappoints, so expect another fun matchup on Sunday.
Though Week 1 was extremely poor, the Bengals had the highest rated PFF passing grade last season. Joe Burrow was just awarded the largest contract in NFL history, and it’s for good reason. He’ll have it a real test against the Ravens secondary this week. S Kyle Hamilton was particularly exceptional last season. They chose to major in Cover 6 in 2022, meaning that WR Ja’marr Chase could be bracketed quite often. Look for WR2 Tee Higgins to step up and have a nice game. It will be tough against such a solid defense, but I expect the Cincinnati offense to look much better than they did against the Browns.
Zay Flowers was the star of the show Week 1 in Baltimore. The rookie wide receiver led the Ravens in both catches (9) and receiving yards (79). He looked incredibly agile and fast. Baltimore will certainly continue to put the ball into his hands. However the Bengals were much better at stopping the pass than the run last season. The way to score against them is through the ground, at least initially The Ravens have a strong run game, but starting RB J.K. Dobbins went down with a season-ending ACL tear last week. It will be up to RBs Justice Hill and Gus Edwards to establish the run game, along with QB Lamar Jackson. Though, with pass-catching options like TE Mark Andrews, WR Odell Beckham Jr., and Zay Flowers and the talented Lamar Jackson under center, the Baltimore will still look to create fireworks through the air. I expect this to work, but only to a certain point.
With two great defenses and two strong offenses, it will be interesting to see which units falter. I expect a low scoring rock fight, with Burrow and the Bengals taking the slight edge.